MODI, MOODI, MOOODI, is not one of the chants by the crowd which we all have heard in India during past six to eight months during the course of political campaign of 2014. This euphoria was not just like that; it was actually based on hope of Indians out of sheer desperation and hopelessness prevailing all across the country at large. Armed forces also, amongst all others have pinned a lot of hope from this change that the country is witnessing this summer of 2014.
The corruption scams related to VIP helicopters, Adarsh and Sukhna are some of the glaring example of the rot prevailing. It raises a question mark over the probity and credibility of those in high offices.
Over a past few months I have been trying to understand the expectations of our military from Narendra Modi. In my quest I would have spoken to a large number of those in active service and also those who have long hung their boots. The wish list is definitely long and these expectations vary from a Soldier to a General. The Soldiers and their young officers would prefer better living conditions, improved infrastructure in border areas and off course a more promising pay scale. These aspirations may find voices of concerns with the middle and senior level officers as well, but there is a difference.
While the present lot of the generals would be keen on early implementation of One-Rank-One-Pension. However the most imaginative and objective lot is that of Colonels and Brigadiers and there equivalent in Air Force and the Navy. It is this lot who will largely be holding the fort and carry the burden of defense of India upon its shoulders at the turn of the next general election in the year 2019. They would by then be the two star and three star general officers, answerable to the men they command and the nation they swear by.
What has emerged out of my series of interactions are five major things amongst many that challenge the credibility of our armed forces. These are challenges related to LEADERSHIP, MORALE, ACCOUNTABLITY, INTEGRATION and CAPABLITY.
There is a big question mark over our leadership in the armed forces as it raises doubt over the ways this senior leadership is selected. The corruption scams related to VIP helicopters, Adarsh and Sukhna are some of the glaring example of the rot prevailing. It raises a question mark over the probity and credibility of those in high offices. Amidst all this, what misses the glare is the fact that a trend has been established over a few years of repudiating, evading and shirking the responsibility by our top military leadership. Is it not ironic that the General Bikram passed the buck onto the field commanders when the reporters asked him of the Army’s response to the infamous beheading of our soldiers on the LoC last year?
A trend started by General Bikram Singh as the Eastern army commander followed by Lt General Dalbir Suhag who replaced him as the army commander in Calcutta will further convince you to question the selection process. Within the army it is a well known fact these two gentlemen have avoided taking decisions just to ensure non culpability, just in case the decision went wrong. This philosophy of work practiced by Bikram Singh as the Chief has demoralized the staff and commanders at all levels having a cascading effect. Lt General Dalbir Suhag as the army commander Eastern Command followed the footsteps of his predecessor. The growing worry is that the army may well have to suffer from this decision making paralysis for next two and a half years more.
For Modi to shake up the system so well entrenched may not be easy. Requirement from military leaders having decisiveness, moral courage, high probity are some of the attributes desperately required.
Beyond doubt this model of inaction has damaged the operational and administrative functioning of the army. Indecisiveness arising out of fear of committing a wrong is something dangerous. The military commanders have to take risks, over cautious approach leads to general demoralization of the force which is clearly evident across the board. The commanders these days at different levels avoid shouldering responsibility, an alarming trend. This model unfortunately is becoming the preferred template to rise in career without committing errors. It is high time the process of selecting chiefs just by seniority following the line of succession is done away with and replaced by a deeper selection process. It is time when character is placed higher than competence. For Modi to shake up the system so well entrenched may not be easy. Requirement from military leaders having decisiveness, moral courage, high probity are some of the attributes desperately required.
It may be true that the blame of all the ills in the armed forces cannot be levelled against the leadership alone. But the unfortunate incidents like the ones seen at Leh in 226 Field Artillery regiment in May 2012 and later at Meerut in 10 SIKH LI in Oct 2013 are a matter of grave concern and the leadership cannot be exonerated. In both these cases the situation got so much out of hand that the Jawans ended up beating up their own officer, something never heard before. Such incidents seriously lower the morale. The incidents of suicide and fratricide are also not uncommon any more, which can be seen as an index of low morale.
A brigade commander in the North East in 2012, was caught taking bribe from his commanding officers to write a favorable Annual Confidential Report. An incident widely reported on the leading television channels shook the basic faith of officers and men in the system. The beheading and killing of our soldiers on the LoC and numerous other occurrences of similar in nature, badly affects the self-confidence of our troops. These incidents may have been brushed aside as trivial when compared to the large size of our army but then they definitely reflect the down side in the organization. Such incidents adversely affect the morale of the leaders and the led alike. Raising the morale of the third largest armed forces should be the top most priority of our generals and political masters alike.
The recent case of resignation by the Naval Chief Admiral DK Joshi over continuous mishaps within the Navy may be a rare but a classic example in the highest traditions of the armed forces of taking the moral responsibility. Later on the government superseded Vice Admiral Sinha over RK Dhawon as the next Navy Chief thus fixing the responsibility of mishaps on correct shoulders. Admiral Sinha who was the Western Fleet Commander all the while when the series of mishaps took place, was rightly overlooked for the top job is again one of the rare case of fixing accountability at highest levels.
…the greatest challenge would be in ensuring strong and capable armed forces. This can only happen by rapid modernization.
But then the story does not end here. What about those in the ministry of defense who are responsible for delay in procurement of equipment, timely up-gradations and modernization despite repeated requests from various service chiefs? These delays have resulted in mishaps due to malfunctioning and failure of the equipment. The famous case in point is that of the survivor of a MIG-21 crash, Wing Commander Sanjeet Kalia, who had to take the legal course for seeking justice. The honorable High Court of Delhi has apportioned the blame of this accident resulting in debilitating injuries to the pilot upon manufacturing defects and poor workmanship by the HAL. So what about the accountability of Defense Secretary Production and the head of the HAL? Somebody has to be questioned for the loss to the exchequer. Someone has to answer for the loss of life and limbs of many a great warrior of our country lost due to the apathy and neglect of those responsible.
Shri Narendra Modi has a herculean task ahead to identify the dead wood. He has to ensure simple and effective procedures are put in place so that complete apparatus work like a well-oiled machine. A system is desirable where those responsible are equally answerable.
Today no doubt the Army Headquarter is referred as the Integrated Head Quarter of MOD (Army) and likewise for the Navy and the Air Force. Unfortunately this is nothing but mere semantics with no worthwhile integration. Implementation of Kargil Review committee report in the right earnest and appointment of a Chief of Defense Staff backed by necessary parliamentary sanction would be a true integration. In doing so the aspects related to accountability, modernization will automatically get streamlined. However the most important aspect accrued out of this transformation would be the formalization of a strategic thought process, derived out of synergy between defence and other ministries. A measure desperately needed by a country which is standing at the thresh hold of a predicted Asian age of twenty first century. This can very much be facilitated by this integration.
Integration of the service head quarters with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) should be on a very high priority agenda for the Modi’s government. Since our independence the service headquarter have been adjunct to the MOD merely out of the fears of Jawahar Lal Nehru originating out of a much hallucinated military coup. Though every effort recently during the tenure of General VK Singh was made by the then Defense Secretary Shashank Sharma to revive such fears by jointly concocting a false story of a coup along with a leading national daily. All this was done with an aim to discredit the Army Chief and in turn the Army. The immediate fall out would have been mistrust and further isolation of the armed forces. It would have provided a reason enough to suppress the legitimate desire of the Armed Forces for proper integration with the MOD. Will the safeguards to prevent a repeat of such an exercise by the bureaucrats put in place? How will the civil military relation build on trust and faith needs to be seen in the days to come?
Modi intends good relations with our belligerent neighbours and in his own words, “by looking straight into their eyes”. This can happen only if the country is strong.
Finally the greatest challenge would be in ensuring strong and capable armed forces. This can only happen by rapid modernization. It is high time the management of our defenses on our borders is technology driven rather being based on the antiquated troop intensive philosophy which is of attrition in nature. Today the fighter strength in the Air Force has alarmingly depleted. The submarine arm of the Navy virtually left with no punch. The Army has night blind armoured with limited ammunition just enough to fight one and a half days of intense battle. Air Defense is defunct and artillery left with obsolete guns and systems. Infantry man is starved of basic equipment and seriously looks forward to a good rifle at least to match up with the enemy on the borders. The list is very long.
Shri Narendra Modi intends good relations with our belligerent neighbours and in his own words, “by looking straight into their eyes”. This can happen only if the country is strong. Military is the manifestation of that strength that comes out of strong economy and sound leadership. It is high time the equipment starved armed forces do not suffer from the neglect of bureaucrats and lack of commitment and accountability of the DRDO and the Defense PSUs. India beyond doubt deserves a strong armed force an expectation of every patriotic Indian.
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THE SYSTEM CANNOT CHANGE . WHEN YOU HAVE OFFICERS BEING PROMOTED TO GENERALS WHOSE SPECIALISATION IS STEALING MONEY FROM PURSES OF HIS HOST WHILST STAYING WITH HIMAND CAUGHT RED HANDED HOW WILL THE ARMY IMPROVE , YOU WILL ONLY HAVE KETCHUP COLS, MEDICINES GENERALS ,STORES , LIQUOR AND SCOTCH THIEVES WHO WILL CONNIVE WITH AGENTS , POLITCANS AND BABUS TO STRIP THE ARMY OF ITS VALOUR , COURAGE , INTEGRITY AND ELAN . SOLUTION PERHAPS LIES IN DECENTRALISATION OF FINANCIAL POWERS SO THAT THIEVES ARE CAUGHT EARLY IN LIFE.
Dear Danvir,
Sweeping and unsubstantiated remarks against the COAS and his likely successor are really in poor taste. I am not too sure if you are very qualified to comment on their decision making capability but even if you do you need to be very specific when writing an article. In any case having worn the uniform I think it would have been more appropriate if you had written directly to the RM with specific allegations.
That having been said there is plenty that the Army can do to improve itself and practical suggestions towards that end are most welcome. But you seem to be army bashing
Dear Danvir,
Sweeping and unsubstantiated remarks against the COAS and his likely successor are really in poor taste. I am not too sure if you are very qualified to comment on their decision making capability but even if you do you need to be very specific when writing an article. In any case having worn the uniform I think it would have been more appropriate if you had written directly to the RM with specific allegations.
That having been said there is plenty that the Army can do to improve itself and practical suggestions towards that end are most welcome.
It seems that mischief mongers waste no opportunity to denigrate the services. Lobbying in politics is a long accepted phenomenon but with its advent in the military at the behest of those serving and retired, it is taking dangerous proportions and portends ill for all concerned.
Without as shred of evidence these so called experts and well wishers by targeting Senior Officers are not only eroding the institution but also adversely affecting the morale of troops.
In any case since when has military and national policy been decide in the open domain
Numerous discussions and reviews of officer men relations highlights that officers were not available in units, and the issue of operating procedures not being followed. Gen Bikram seems to have done a herculean task in ensuring these issues were addressed with reduction of courses to basic minimal, availability of commanding officers with the troops, manual on unit management which all reflect very positively on the Chief. The army is in a good shape to start building on what the present chief leaves behind as his legacy.
What ails the Army of today is not indecisiveness but the lack of loyality to the institution that shows in this article. there is always greater evils that some are too shy to disclose. If the Armed Forces are weak in any way today, the major chunk of the reason for the same needs to go to the political set up and not the organisation that would fight with what is provided to them. Time the country woke to Kautilyas words of wisdom for the king to take care of his army. This article should’ve been more of what the Armed Forces expects from the new government rather than other wise
What was once an organisation that rarely got a tingle of media glare, has today taken center stage in media polls. Colonel Danvir seems like someone who left the Army with disgruntlement. Else why this mud flinging on the Army’s yet unsoiled image that too on non issues like the functioning style of the Chiefs, Gen Bikram, and Gen Dalbir being non decisive and blah blah blah. I totally agree with one of the comments here about the Machhil case and the Pathribal issue. I bet it would be the author who would find himself in indecisiveness on such trying circumstances. Just because Modi comes to power doesn’t make it justifiable to invent a story selling sleaze on an institution that took care of you.
I believe that todays media has become a sensationalizing agent even when there is no content to such stories. There seems to be a trend to drag in the generals into theublic fora these days. However i believe the present chief has done a stupendous job in the political scenario which existed in the country… where the previous went crying hoarse over personal agendas like date of birth controversies, the present chief has had a relatively tumultous tenure and has never had any tinge of personal agendas. As a chief he has kept a low profile from controversies, which probably is the reason why such stories keep coming from time to time..
I think the author has used the tennets of democracy to voice his opinion callously without any concrete evidence to back it up….lets not forget that it was during the present chiefs tenure that very critical decisions like the one on the Machhil encounter, when the separatists too were appreciative of the tough stand the army took on its own, were taken by the present chief. For that matter even the Pathribal verdict was one of those difficult decisions that the chief would have taken, all the while knowing very well that it would stir a hornets nest… lets also not forget the way the army stood to the test in the Uttrakhand calamity or the Muzzaffarnagar riots,….from LoC violations to Chinese intrusions i think the present chief has been tested fair enough to be biasedly become the receiving end of these allegations coated in verbosity from an opinionated writer…so much for gossip mongers.
I agree that all us Indians will like to have strong defence forces. But the theme of your article ponders around more on comparing leaders and commenting on them instead of earnestly debating the way ahead for the armed forces.
Your article seems to be a copy-paste from the many such articles coloured with the run-of-the-mill agendas of questioning senior leadership. My only point is that all such articles are written by officers who themselves rose in the system playing by the same rules they now question. As in their case, the leadership in the military today is the product of the same stringent, time-tested, quantified and fair system. Changing of which, just to suit the needs of a few, is not only unfair to the military men but also illogical in every sense of the way. A country’s military reforms are not matters to be loosely debated, especially not by veterans like yourself, Mr Author.
Dear Danvir,
Do take into consideration that while criticism is welcome, it would be better if one did positive criticism. Passing sweeping judgements as to who is good & who is bad seems too far fetched an approach with an apparent bias. I dont see any concrete suggestions in your article as to how you will like to see the Army evolve.
The article is a good read of grammar, poorly backed by facts. It gives a strong stench of vested interest propaganda. Going by only my read of military affairs covered by the mass media. An evolution is in progress. A strike corps is being made to strengthen the eastern front. Private sector is being reigned in to indigenise defence equipment production and infrastructure is being improved in border areas. These, in no way, are small tasks. It will all take time and just because the author is in a hurry, things wont happen overnight. Being a veteran, it was expected that you of all would understand that.
Your article seems to have an overhang of vested interests. It is easy to blame leadership for any wrong. But, I am sure that the entire stratum of military planning is not & not supposed to be in public knowledge. While realistically, it is true that there would be problems in any organisation. I am sure that the work would be on and results exist. It is just that armed forces do not advertise their capability building. Your article needed greater research, more nationalist agenda and lesser personal score settling.
What the Col here is saying is quite true. Bitter truth always hurts. Basic fighting unit of the Indian Army is the Infantry Battalion and they happen to be poorly equipped, the state is rather pathetic. I would blame the Chiefs in succession; who had the gumption to stand up and take up the matter with the government in the strongest terms? They all enjoy the Chiefs tenures and leave the Army lacking. I served for 32 years and there was hardly any chief that inspired me and for that matter senior generals of the Army. They all just exist in the system. The bulwark of the Army are the Commanding Officers of the units and the Blood and Guts are the Young Officers and the Soldiers. Beyond that there is little happiness to show. Its about time somebody took a serious note of the issues involved.
Amazingly Modi has a Herculean task ahead as he stated in his one of television interview.Going by his model of development we are hoping that silver lines are there…….
Denigrating others seems fashionable these days. Allegations not withstanding not a shred of proof of indecision or any wrong doing is offered.
Wonder what someone from the same regiment who retired recently has against Gen Bikram.
Good article but some incorrect assumptions. Chief has to depend on his field commanders to execute plans. If he mobilises his strategic assets then its total war. I think the correct way of creating more synergy between mod and services is to give more autonomy to services so that time to take decision is less
Some isolated examples of indiscipline do not define our arm. Agreed there are aberrations but I believe these are malaise of individual rather than of organisation. If everybody was corrupt and incompetent then how is the army still working?
I feel its incorrect to judge a chief by actions we cannot publicise. How will international community react if we say we killed 15 paki as revenge? Since ww2 no country has openly declared hostility.
Amazing article…….its true modi has to really look deeply into india armed forces’ s growth……internal development cant take place unless v r safe at border with a very strong force with high morale and strong leadership. …I fully agree with author. .that indecisiveness arising out of fear of committing wrong is very prevalent in army today….ppl just want to save career by adopting a safe path thus diminishing the leadership. ..
A good article but will it reach those who matter and have the authority to do something about it? Higher leadership has definetly shown a weakness for things material. I agree character takes prority.
A very well articulated and approached article on a subject which has National importance, which if neglected anymore by Govts at all levels, will have crippling consequences for the nation.
This topic needs prompt and in depth deliberation and analysis by True Patriots, who have the sagacity and vision beyond their own careers and progression. Period.
Trust that Mr Modi ably advised by the correct people take the necessary steps to stem the rot and raise Nation above all else.
Excellent and timely.